


To Catch a Falling Star

by nineafternoons



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: M/M, family au, space
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-28
Updated: 2017-01-28
Packaged: 2018-09-20 10:35:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9487439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nineafternoons/pseuds/nineafternoons
Summary: Loving someone can go a long way.





	

**Author's Note:**

> OST [here.](https://open.spotify.com/user/frontingsss/playlist/0yTQPoGbnRWhFUvIIyJ0Re)

`TO: PASSENGER 45003 under the MEDICAL SECTOR, as per recorded by NASA’s server. The following videos will be archived.`

 

`FROM: JIHOON LEE-KWON`

`DATE: JANUARY 13, 2017`

 

It has been exactly two months since you left for your mission. Junghyeon is sleeping right now, on the crib we built for her. Not much has changed except Truffles has already given birth to three kittens. Her tomcat, the one who has been visiting our garage, wooing Truffles for the past few months, is nowhere to be found. I don’t think Truffles minds. She’s way too good for him anyway.

I’ve decided to keep the three kittens. I think Truffles would like that, too. 

I’m doing fine. If you were here—if you were here on Earth—you would’ve been very proud of me. If you were here on Earth, I would’ve called you a thousand times and you, I. But all I’m faced with is a camera, not knowing if you will ever even receive this. Seungcheol said you would because NASA is NASA. I hope so, too.

I hope you don’t think too much of me there. You’re still probably inside a sleeping pod as I’m recording this, I know. I hope you don’t dream too much of me as well.

I miss you. I love you.

 

 

`JUNE 17, 2017`

 

The kits are doing fine. I’ve named them Cupcake, Brownie, and Cookie. I think you would’ve named them like that as well. We’ve always liked baking. I bake now with Junghyeon, though. She would sit in her high chair and just stare at me. It feels great. You must want to see her now, right? She’s sleeping again. I’ll try to message you in the afternoon when she’s awake. I know you would like to see her.

The workload in the restaurant has doubled, because…I’ve been promoted as Head Chef! The previous one—my ex-boss—has decided to retire to do a pilgrimage all around the world or something. He’s going to spend all of his money traveling with his wife. Both of them are old and if I remember correctly, not a day passed by that Chef Kim didn’t complain about his aching back. I hope he and his wife will do well.

If you were wondering, Truffles is still Truffles, except she doesn’t pay that much attention to me anymore because she’s too busy having her kits sup milk from her. She’s a big girl now. Though she and Junghyeon are getting incredibly fond of each other.

How are you? A year from now, you’ll wake up from your sleeping pod. And then complete your mission in eight years. Those nine years will go by in just a blink for you, maybe. Despite my husband being an astronaut who practices space medicine, I know nothing about space. But I do know that in Mars, a day is thirty-nine minutes longer than our usual day here on Earth. You used to tell me this all the time.

I hope you’ll sleep well and not wake up earlier than the others by accident. I’ve seen how it was done in movies.

Also, Junghyeon and I celebrated your birthday in your mom’s diner. She looked happy and healthy. I will take care of her, so you don’t need to worry. You’ve got aliens, asteroids, and how Mars could be habitable by people or not to worry about.  

I miss you terribly.

 

`AUGUST 14, 2017`

 

It’s Truffle’s birthday! Look! She and Junghyeon are wearing matching party hats! Both Truffles and I drank wine. Hers are the ones for cats, of course. Can you believe such a thing exists? Well, I’m glad I came across it while buying Truffles a new collar.

Say hi to Dada! Junghyeon misses you a lot, you see. Tell Dada how you’ve been practicing how to walk, baby. Well, she’ll get to talking someday.

I love you so much, Soonyoung. I’ll wait for you. Besides, what're nine years anyway? It’s nothing compared to the rest of our lives— _no_ , the lifetime we spent together.

 

`SEPTEMBER 13, 2017`

 

Junghyeon’s walking! I’m so proud I feel like I’m going to cry. Here. We ate cake right after in your mom’s diner.

You know, just a penny for my thoughts, I feel so silly now for being upset over your business trips to other countries. Now, you’re not even here on Earth. I don’t know how to deal with that.

Give me some time, though. I will work it out soon. You want me to do that, to be okay. I’ll try to be. For you. I love you. Junghyeon, Truffles, Cupcake, Brownie and Cookie do, too.

 

 

`OCTOBER 30, 2017`

 

Look who went trick or treating today! That’s right, our baby Junghyeon did. Show Dada how scary you are! Oh, my God, baby, you scared me so hard that I might have nightmares for when I sleep.

She’s a cute little Frankenstein. At first, I suggested her to try the pumpkin costume because it was cute, but then she immediately pointed to the Frankenstein costume, so I had no choice but to buy it. I was a zombie if you were wondering. Junghyeon got a lot of candies from our neighbors. It’s not like she can eat it, but it’s fine. She smiled a lot today. Right, baby?

That’s it for today. You’ll wake up in a few months. I’ll wait for your reply. I can’t wait to see your face.

 

 

`NOVEMBER 14, 2017`

 

Junghyeon is now officially one-year old! Our baby has grown so much. She can turn storybooks by herself, and use the spoon and fork when eating solids. Chopsticks are another story, though. But my parents have bought her chopsticks. You know the ones with guides? Yeah, that one.

Truffles and the three kits wouldn’t leave her side, and Junghyeon seems to appreciate this. Come here, baby! Your dada wants to see you.

She doesn’t know how to speak yet, but we’re trying hard. It’s just me, her and the cats. And when I’m working, Jeonghan comes around to babysit. Sometimes even Seungcheol. I think I’m going to hire a real one soon since I don’t want to take more of Jeonghan and Seungcheol’s time. They’ve done so much for me. For us. That’s one option. The other is enrolling her into a daycare center. It’d be nice to expose her to other playmates and at the same time, learn her ABCs.

I wish you were here, babe. I love you. See you real’ soon!

 

`DECEMBER 25, 2017`

 

Merry Christmas! It’s your favorite holiday. I couldn’t come to Seungcheol and Jeonghan’s Christmas party earlier because, well, I needed to take care of Junghyeon. It’s not like I regret it, though. I’m incredibly overwhelmed, feeling the holiday spirit and all. Now that I’m in front of you, talking to you, I feel more and more elated. It’s like I’m spending the holidays with you. Junghyeon here is now richer than both of us, in money, of course. Instead of buying her toys, her uncles and aunts have given her money, which is a smart move, because, with that, Junghyeon can specifically choose whichever toy she wants when the holiday crowd calms down.

It's freezing so bad, and the humidifier you bought a while back indeed came in handy. I remember nagging you for wasting money on the weirdest of things, but I’m glad I got a few wrong. Like that toothpaste holder, and that huge ass heater, which the cats use for their convenience inside their play room. Also, I’m wearing like, three layers of clothing right now. One is your thermal shirt. I hope you don’t mind.

I will visit your mother in the morning, and then facetime my parents right after. I’ve brought her food to eat, even though she’s also a cook herself. I hope she’ll like it and reserve the constructive criticisms to herself. Just for this holiday. You don’t know how offended I was when she told me that a rat can probably cook a better ratatouille dish than me. But that’s just my pride talking.  

Merry Christmas again! Say bye to Dada, Junghyeon!  

 

`JANUARY 1, 2018`

 

I really wish I could kiss you right now.

 

`JANUARY  23, 2018`

 

NASA messaged me earlier. I received the email while taking a short break after the dinner rush. The reservations are always up on the roof, so I kind of get where Chef Kim’s aching back came from. Don’t worry. It’s not anything serious—

Fuck. You’re supposed to be awake now. I’m supposed to receive a reply from you this time around. But some complications happened, and you’re—you’re lost. Your vehicle got lost in fucking space, and can’t be tracked. I don’t know what to do. I hope you’re still alive. I hope you’re safe. If you’re still sleeping in your pod, then that’s better.

Please. Please be alive. I love you. Please.

 

 

`FEBRUARY 9, 2018`

 

There’s still a probable chance you’re still alive—at least that’s what NASA says. But getting lost in space, which stretches for an infinity? It’s really hard to believe, but I’m going to hold onto their word and to your promise, of course. You’ll come back. I know you will.

Anyway, today I’ve decided to open a restaurant of my own. I’ve talked with the landlords and the contractors and everything. The reason why I’m telling you this only now was because I wanted to surprise you. As in you, on the other end of this video message, being surprised, clapping for me and telling me how proud you are to be my husband.

Being the boss of my own will allow me to have more free time. Maybe I’ll get to pick up Junghyeon by myself in the daycare, not the part-time babysitter I’ve hired—although she’s great with her. She even feeds the cats.

I took Truffles to the vet for her daily check-up. She’s doing fine. Junghyeon’s learning more and more words by writing, but she still can’t form a complete sentence. She stutters a lot and has a hard time understanding what other people say. I’m really worried but she’ll be fine. She says Dada a lot, as what you’ve seen from the past messages. Did you know? It was her first word.  

See you soon, my love.

 

 

`APRIL 14, 2018`

 

I’ve been busy with work. The restaurant is slowly coming into place, and I’ve hired a good set of employees—from chefs to servers to cashiers and even cleaners. I’ve named the restaurant _Yuseong_ , since you liked them, and said that those are the ‘shooting stars’ we wish upon on. I wish for you every day; that you are safe and alive.

Not a day has passed by that I didn’t think of you.

 

`MAY 19, 2018`

 

I’ve taken Junghyeon to a speech-language pathologist a while ago. From now on, she will undergo therapy sessions right after daycare. I believe that she will be okay, she will talk soon, and when she does, she will be the most talkative baby ever and I’ll be so glad. At the same time, her growth will improve. She hasn’t been really stellar while eating. She’d always cough out what I’d give her. The speech-language pathologist said that after all this time, it was a symptom of a speech problem.

We will get through this. Even if she can’t speak properly yet, I know that she loves us and the cats. She’s a very happy baby, Soonyoung. I’m so proud of her.

I remember the first time we saw her back in the orphanage. It’s just—I’m just very, very glad that she’s part of our lives.

 

`JUNE 15, 2018`

 

The video is on, Junghyeon! Her therapies so far are a success, and she’s improving so much. Look. Say something to Dada, Junghyeon! Greet him a happy birthday!

_I…love…you, Dada…_

 

 

 

 

The automated kiosk sleeps in the far corner of Soonyoung’s room, drained from the videos that played overnight. Apart from a bed, a table, and a tunnel for ventilation, his room is eerily empty, uncovered with something that traces a living organism.

His items are still in the storage, due to be processed a few hours from now. They’ve scavenged a few fallen parts of the ship after docking in a planet where everything is covered with ice, the wind whirring with avalanches, and mountains shivering in the snow. It took them a few days to get the emergency engine working, and it’s only then they were awakened and helped everyone out of their pods before blasting off to space again.

Such a fragile thing it is to use a measurement of time because most don’t even know what hours meant in this galaxy, where everything is pitch black, and the stars aren’t bright but a clump of something hard always meant to destroy something.

He hears a swift knock on the door, _thump, thump, thump,_ not bothering to stop until he has given his call for an okay. The door slides open, revealing a disheveled Junhui, who wore the same uniform as he—all white with a contrasting gray strap that ran from the right shoulder to the upper part of the left hip, a _medic_ patched on the left side of their chest.

“Did you watch it?”

“Yes,” Soonyoung’s voice is small, muffled by the laced hands that covered his mouth. He heaves a deep breath. He hasn’t even watched the half of it, slowly going through the years. His cheeks are dried with tears, feeling the soreness that welled in his eyes. After they’ve finished waking up the last person on board, they’ve been recommended to rest. But most, if not all, have had enough of sleeping.

The kiosk is the closest thing they have to Earth, and it contains video messages from their loved ones, all gathered in the decade they’ve been asleep. But his’ end of the fifteenth of June, the year 2018.

“They haven’t retrieved the other messages yet,” Junhui informs as if he read his mind. “It’s not like I needed to know, since my inbox is empty and I don’t have anyone to go home to, but I just thought I’d tell you.”

“Ten Earth years,” Soonyoung says. “We’ve been gone for ten Earth years.”

“It will take another ten Earth years to go back and more. Until then, messages from your husband and Junghyeon, since she’s probably ten years old by now, will still be accepted into the server.”

“I missed the first time she walked,” Soonyoung’s voice trembles over the dead silence, into nothingness, into the vast, vast space, delved into a galaxy they didn’t think it was possible to arrive to. “The first time she talked, the first time she went to school, _everything._ I missed everything.”

On Earth, Junghyeon has just turned ten and Truffles and her other kits have died. Yuseong is now a critically-acclaimed restaurant by world-renowned critics, sponsored by tourist agencies and famous endorsers. Jihoon is still sending him messages, but Junghyeon wishes for him to stop, because every time he turns the camera off, he falls into his own arms and cries on the table.

Another ten years later, Junghyeon has gotten accepted in her preferred college and messages Soonyoung:

 

`FROM: JUNGHYEON KWON`

`DATE: MARCH 4, 2038`

 

Papa has been talking to this camera for twenty years now. The only reason why he can’t today because he’s in the hospital right now. He has fallen ill. You know, he told me to welcome you with open arms by the time you'd come back; by the time he has already died.

I wonder if you’re alive, Dada. I get why you aren’t here. Papa made me understand, but I just can’t help but be— _really, really_ sad and upset. I wish I had you instead of a fucking camera. I wish you were here to scold me for saying a bad word just now.

And I can’t help but be mad as well. Your name is part of books now. I hope it’s worth it. I hope it’s worth leaving your family behind.

I’m not sure if I can love you, Dada, but I hope you’d come back, so I’d have the opportunity to learn how to, and so that Papa will be happy even in his death. Please.

Please come back, Dada.    

 

`NOVEMBER 26, 2016 — A MEMORY, BY THE DEPARTURE AREA:`

 

“You’ve got everything?”

“Yes,” Soonyoung says, pausing to take in all of Jihoon—his features, his voice and his touch, _everything_. He’s got Junghyeon in his arms, a towel hung on the shoulder where her mouth was.

Soonyoung kisses the back of her head, and then her soft cheeks, smelling of drool and milk she’s been drinking. Soonyoung kisses his husband’s lips then, for the longest time.

“I’ll miss you forever,” Jihoon says, tears flowing from his eyes. Junghyeon stirs in her sleep. “No, not forever, because forever means you won’t be coming back. I’ll miss you for the rest of my life, then.”

“Back then in college, I used to wish upon a shooting star," Soonyoung says, feeling his eyes sting. "I would always wish that you'd love me back, and it came true. So, when you see one, please think of me. Know that I will be surrounded by ones that will fall on Earth for years to come, and before anyone, I’ve already wished. I wished for you. I wished for Junghyeon. I wished for us.”

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> This was purely written out of whim??  
> I hope y'all liked it!!!! <3
> 
> The songs I've mostly listened to while writing this were Vanilla Twilight by Owl City and Sogyeokdong by IU!! This story was also inspired by Interstellar (quasi). Comments and kudos are very much appreciated ILY ALL
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> twitter: @twentycarat


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